Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a condition that involves chronic inflammation in all or part of the digestive tract. Often painful and debilitating, IBD can lead to life-threatening complications as well as increase the risk for colon cancer. Other types of intestinal colitis, such as Immunotherapy-Induced Colitis, Immunotherapy-Induced Enterocolitis. Immune-Related Colitis, Chemotherapy-Induced Colitis, Taxane-Induced (ischemic) Colitis, and Chemotherapy-Induced Neutropenic. Enterocolitis, are commonly observed in patients who receive immunotherapy with drugs such as CTLA-4 inhibitors, PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors, and/or other biological antibodies, etc. for the treatment of various cancer and immune-related diseases. Similar gastro-intestinal colitis is often observed after cancer patients receive single or multiple chemotherapeutic treatment like administration of taxanes. The two most common forms of IBD are ulcerative colitis and. Crohn's disease. In Crohn's, inflammation can occur anywhere in the digestive tract, from the mouth to the anus. By contrast, ulcerative colitis only involves inflammation of the large intestine, or colon. They are two distinct conditions, but there's a lot of overlap of the symptoms and physiology.
It is estimated that as many as 1 million Americans and Europeans suffer from IBD, and most sufferers begin to feel symptoms between the ages of 15 and 30. In addition, the estimated number of patients suffered from other types of above mentioned intestinal colitis could be as many as several millions.
With IBD, the intestines (small, large, and bowels) become inflamed, including redness, swelling, and mucosal lesion. Related symptoms, which can range from mild or severe, include severe or chronic abdominal pain, diarrhea, often bloody, sudden weight loss, lack of appetite, and rectal bleeding. Treatment for IBD varies per patient. Some may require medication, which can range from corticosteroids to biologic therapies and antibiotics. For example, the drug Mesalamine, delivered as either a rectal enema, suppository or pill, works to open up the small intestine. Intestinal colitis in general result in similar symptoms as observed in IBD patients, but commonly with compromised immune system.
Conditions of IBD and severe intestinal colitis are not curable, but if patients get on the appropriate medications, they can feel well. Thus, a need exists in the art to address better medications for treatment of both IBD and other types of intestinal colitis.